Motor-boat.



PATENTHD APR. 3, 1906. I

G. H. SPENGE. MOTOR BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED 00w. 11,1905.

67266, Inventor Attorneys Witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY SPENCE, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

MOTOR-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed October 11, 1905- Serial No. 282,334.

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY SPENoE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Motor-Boat, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor-boats, and has for its object to provide a novel form of manually operable motor arranged to take up comparatively little space within an open boat and to operate as ballast therefor, rather than to render the boat top heavy, as in prior devices of this character. It is also proposed to have the motor run by the feet of the operator and to permit of the latter being seated upon the usual thwart.

IVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the stern portion of an open boat equipped with the propelling means of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

In illustrating the application and operation of the present invention there has been shown the stern portion 1 of a conventional form of open boat having a rudder 2, a tiller 3, and a thwart 4. Within the bottom portion of the boat and immediately in front of the thwart 4 there is an upstanding gear-case 5, which is provided with attaching basefianges 6 and 7, suitably secured to the bottom of the boat. A substantially horizontal drive-shaft 8 centrally pierces the gear-case transversely of the boat and is provided with terminal cranks 9, there being suitable bearings 10 for the shaft carried by opposite sides of the gear-case. Within the case there is a beveled gear 11, which is fixed upon the shaft and has suflicient weight to operate as a flywheel. Treadles 12 are located at opposite sides of the gear-case, with their free ends connected to the respective cranks by means of beveled pinion 15, carried by the forward end i of a propeller-shaft 16, which inclines downwardly and rearwardly and pierces the stern of the boat, Where it is provided with any suitable or conventional form of propeller 17. A suitable thrust-bearing 18 is carried by the case for the support of the forward end of the propeller-shaft.

In practice the operator is seated upon the thwart 4 and alternately manipulates the treadles 12, thereby rotating the drive-gear 11, which in turn rotates the pinion 15, from which motion is transferred by the shaft 16 to the propeller 17 Supplemental to the fo0t-power it is proposed to provide for applying hand-power to the motor, the present embodiment including upstanding levers 19, located at opposite sides of the case 5 and fulcrumed upon the bottom of the boat, as indicated at 20, said levers being located adjacent to and forward of the crank-shaft 8 in position for access by an operator seated upon the thwart immediately in front of the motor. A link 21 is pivoted to each lever, as at 22, and has its free end provided with a hook 23, capable of detachable engagement with the adjacent headed crank-pin 24. By this arrangement two persons may operate upon the motor whenever desired, and when only the foot-power is desired the links 21 are disengaged from the crank-shaft and the levers folded forwardly against the adjacent forward thwart.

A particular advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the motor is located within the bottom portion of the boat and operates as ballast. Moreover, the motor is so arranged as to be operable by an operator seated upon one of the usual thwarts of the boat instead of requiring that the operator be supported above the gunwales. No change or alteration is required in the boat, and by having the wheel 11 of considerable weight it will operate as a fly-wheel, so as to increase the power of the motor when it has acquired a certain amount of momentum.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with a boat having a thwart, of an upright gear-case supported upon the bottom of the boat and terminating short of the level of the thwart, a drive-shaft piercing the case transversely of the boat, cranks upon the ends of the shaft, treadles connected to the cranks, a gear mounted upon the shaft within the case, the rear portion of the case having alateral extension, a shaft-bearing at the rear of the case extension, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined propeller-shaft having its forward end journaled in the bearing and entering the case extension, and a pinion carried by the forward end of the propeller-shaft within the case extension and in mesh with the drivegear.

2. The combination with a boat having a propeller, of a motor connected to the propeller and located within the boat below the center of gravity thereof, the motor being provided with a crank-shaft, treadles accessible from one side of the motor connected to the crank-shaft, and an upstanding lever accessible from the opposite side of the motor and carrying a link detachably connected to the crank-shaftf In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY SPENCE. Witnesses J. L. WATSON, NETTIE BLAsING. 

